1. Spanglish
   Texas German
2. Germanic
   Peachy-Texan

German settlers founded Fredericksburg, Texas in 1846, and the town retains its distinct German flavor to this day. The original settlers refused to learn English and continued speaking German to each other. Eventually, a mixed language of English and German began to form in the region, Texas German.

1. German
   Mexican
2. Native American
   Czech

West, Texas, between Austin and Dallas, is a bulwark of a Czech community off I-35. In this small town, the Czech Stop famously serves up kolaches, a Czech-Texan standby for breakfast, often featuring some version of a sausage in a semi-sweet bun.

1. Peaches
   Blueberries
2. Apples
   Cantaloupes

Pecos, Texas, way out west, has long been renowned for the quality and juicy, orange flesh of their cantaloupes. In recent years, however, the cantaloupe industry is in sharp decline as a result of the booming oil industry in the area.

1. Granbury
   Wimberley
2. Canyon
   Waco

While historians believe that Jesse James was shot and killed in 1802 and buried in Missouri, local legends in Granbury hold that another member of James’s gang was shot instead and that James himself returned to Granbury to be with his grandson.

1. Golf
   Grill out
2. Swimming
   Camping

At Blue Hole, in Wimberley, Texas, you can dive into the crystal-clear, sparkling blue waters for a refreshing swim in the Texas heat. The waters in Blue Hole are fed by a natural spring, and the limestone surface helps keep the water clear.

1. It was a major rail destination.
   It was an important river port.
2. It was a center for live music.
   It was a medical center.

In the 19th century, when a large amount of trade was conducted over rivers, the river port in Jefferson provided an important connection between Texas and the rest of the south. Located in Far East Texas, just a four-day trip from New Orleans, Jefferson was the leading distribution point in the region.

1. Because of the race that was founded there
   Because it’s so far from everything
2. Because of the excellent hiking in the area
   Because the founder thought the landscape reminded him of Marathon, Greece

The founder of Marathon, Texas, former sea captain Albion E. Shepard, thought the wide-open plains of desert looked like the landscape he had seen in Marathon, Greece. So, he stamped the Greek name on the Texas setting. Now, there is a marathon in Marathon.

1. South Padre Island
   Port Aransas
2. Corpus Christi
   Rockport

Rockport Beach, on the Gulf Coast of Texas, earned the title of being the first Blue Wave Beach in Texas. The Clean Wave Coalition awards this title to communities whose beaches are healthy for the community and the environment.

1. Gruene
   Brenham
2. Marshall
   Odessa

Named after the bluebell wildflower, a group of businessmen started the Blue Bell creamery, making butter from leftover cream gathered from nearby dairy farms. The ice cream production began a few years later.

1. Jean-Marc Bouju
   Gail Caldwell
2. Carolyn Cole
   Larry McMurtry

Pulitzer Prize-winning author Larry McMurtry hails from Archer City, Texas. The author wrote the famed “Lonesome Dove,” a western novel, which was later made into a TV mini-series with Tommy Lee Jones and Robert Duvall.

1. Shiner
   Luckenbach
2. Blanco
   Waco

Shiner, Texas, houses the Spoetzl Brewery, which makes Shiner Beer, and calls itself the “town that beer built.” Spoetzl Brewery first began brewing in 1909, out of an old tin shed. These days the state of the art brewery produces upward of 600,000 barrels of beer a year.

1. North
   South
2. East
   West

McAllen stands at one of the southernmost points of Texas, right on the southern border with Texas. With its International Museum of Art and Science and a Spanish revival mansion, the city makes an excellent cultural destination.

1. For the bumping party scene
   To go to the beach
2. For the mountain biking
   To go to college

Bryan houses the excellent research institution and university, Texas A&M. Texas A&M serves over 53,000 undergraduate students and prides itself on its agricultural roots and its tense rivalry with UT Austin.

1. Fossils
   An ancient library
2. Water caves
   Lava

A world-famous fossil was unearthed in Seymour, Texas: the Dimetrodon, meaning “two measured teeth.” The animal actually was not a dinosaur, but an ancient relative of mammals. The naturalist Edward Cope gave it its name in 1878.

1. Look at them quizzically.
   Ask them, “Do I know you?”
2. Raise your hands like, I don’t know you.
   Wave back.

In small-town Texas, people are typically very polite, almost to a fault, and even to people they have never seen before. People often will wave at strangers on the street or even in cars passing by. In these situations, it’s customary to wave back in order to not be a jerk.

1. 10%
   15%
2. 20%
   40%

While the rural, country life seems to embody the Texas spirit, a mere 15% of Texans actually live out in the country. The vast majority have been drawn to the job opportunities and conveniences of city life.

1. Kerrville
   Midland
2. Clint
   Comanche

The last standing log courthouse in Texas, named “Old Cora,” remains in Comanche. The town prides itself on its historical wealth, drawing attention to legends such as when John Wesley Hardin shot a sheriff at a town saloon.

1. Get you some BBQ.
   Order brisket.
2. Keep driving.
   Look up reviews on the internet.

If you come across a BBQ joint in a small town with no line, it’s best to keep driving. It’s common knowledge in Texas that good BBQ = waiting in line for it. That’s because all the locals know where the best smoked meat is served, and they all congregate to wait for it. No line means you'll get some mediocre BBQ real fast.

1. The Caverns of Sonora
   The Sonora Dunes
2. Ft. Sonora
   The Chianti Foundation

When traveling through Sonora, the Caverns of Sonora are a must-see. The local reputation holds that the caverns delight more than any cave in Texas. It takes a full hour and forty-five minutes to tour the “crystal palace.”

1. Natural Bridge Caverns
   Caddo Lake
2. Schlitterbahn
   Big Bend

Uncertain, Texas, population 93, is not a big hot spot tourist destination. It is, though, situated on the dramatic shores of Caddo Lake, where pines and bald cypress trees tower over a complex ecosystem, brimming with waterfowl, turtles and gators.

1. 30 minutes
   1 hour
2. 1.5 hours
   3 hours

Big Bend National Park, situated at the bend in the Rio Grande bordering Mexico and West Texas, takes about 1.5 hours to drive across if you stay on the two-lane highway. At over 801,000 acres, Big Bend is the 15th largest national park.

1. God bless you, too.
   What now?
2. Suppressed laugh
   Thank you

Small-town Texans regularly speak about being blessed, blessing each other and asking God’s blessing on various aspects of life throughout the day. To those who enter this realm from outside the Bible Belt, this language may seem archaic and strange. The proper response is reciprocation: God bless you, too.

1. Marshall
   Smithville
2. Gruene
   Waco

The movie “Hope Floats,” starring Sandra Bullock, brought notoriety to Smithville, Texas, for being the perfect, picturesque small Texas town. The town, east of Austin, now hosts a few Austin transplants, including an eclectic handbag maker, Consuela’s, and a barbecue market storefront, Mickelthwait’s.

1. Amarillo
   El Paso
2. Ft. Davis
   Marfa

Ft. Davis, situated in the striking Davis Mountains, stands at 5,050 ft, making it the highest elevation of any town in Texas. The quiet little hamlet began as a fort during the turbulent frontier days.

1. Del Río
   Brownsville
2. Port Isabel
   Palacios

Palacios, on Matagorda Bay, dwells right at the spot where the Colorado River flows into the Gulf of Mexico, creating a delicate and complex ecosystem. Groups such as the Matagorda Bay Foundation care for the ecosystem and educate the public about its intricacy.

1. The Peach Capital of Texas
   White, Texas
2. The Lavender Capital of Texas
   The Bluebonnet Capital of Texas

Blanco calls itself the “The Lavender Capital of Texas.” In Blanco, you can tour the Hill Country Lavender Farm or attend the aromatic Lavender Festival in June. The spring-fed Blanco River winds through the center of town and provides a refreshing escape from the Central Texas heat.

1. An art museum
   An opera house
2. An astronomical research center
   A paranormal research group

The Chinati Foundation spreads out in the desert landscape outside Marfa, TexA. The contemporary art museum seeks to stay true to the vision of its founder, Donald Judd, an artist who created large-scale installations in direct communication with the landscape around them.

1. Terlingua
   Lajitas
2. Ft. Davis
   Alpine

Alpine acts as the rail hub for Big Bend National Park. The largest city in the region, at 6,054 inhabitants, the town feels like a big city out in the wide-open desert spaces. Alpine is also known for having a hopping nightlife, music scene and vibrant murals lining the city streets.

1. Marble Falls
   Chappell Hill
2. Salida
   Odessa

Chappell Hill attracted settlers from the Old South in the 1840s, as its landscape along the Brazos River provided a perfect setting for establishing farmland. Stephen F. Austin established his original colony in this region.

1. Peaches
   Wildseed Farms
2. Enchanted Rock
   All of the above

The cozy, German town of Fredericksburg draws tourists from around the world to sample its peaches, stroll through the wildflowers at the magnificent Wildseed Farms and crawl up on the enormous granite pluton, Enchanted Rock.

1. Clint, TX
   Waco, TX
2. Dripping Springs, TX
   Turkey, TX

Turkey may only have a population of 384, but it gave birth to one of the most important swing musicians of all time, Bob Wills. Turkey lies on the Caprock Escarpment, where visitors can stay in the historic Hotel Turkey and listen to the swing music that makes the town famous.

1. The Texas State Railroad
   The Texas Steam Boat Line
2. The Chisholm Trail
   The Texas Kayak Tour

Palestine provides the Western hub for the Texas State Railroad, the official railroad of Texas. Prisoners laid the first tracks of the railroad in 1881, and it was completed in 1909. Today, visitors can take a four-hour journey through the Piney Woods region of Texas on this historic train.

1. Barton Springs
   San Pedro Springs
2. San Salomon Springs
   Comanche Springs

Comanche Springs, a vital source of water for Native Americans in the dry landscape, drew Army Capt. William Henry Chase Whiting to set up a post in the area, where the troops could have plenty of water. Camp Stockton eventually grew into Ft. Stockton and became an important city between El Paso and San Antonio.

1. Amarillo
   Lubbock
2. Dalhart
   Abilene

The Hilmar Cheese Company launched the growth and prosperity of the panhandle town, Dalhart. Twelve dairy families from California founded the company in 1984 with the production of their high-quality Jersey cows.

1. It was the site of a major battle in the revolution.
   It’s featured in a popular Waylon Jennings song.
2. It’s the live music capital of Texas.
   It hosts the oldest dance hall in Texas.

“Let’s go to Luckenbach, Texas, with Waylon and Willie and the boys,” sings the refrain of the song Waylon Jennings made popular, “Luckenbach, TX.” The song heralds the simple life available in small-town Texas, as opposed to overly complicated, high-society life.